Why does my passport have to be valid for 6 months

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Find out if you need to renew your passport before you travel to Europe and which countries the rules apply to.

We recommend that on the day you travel you have at least 6 months left on your passport. This allows for:. Your passport must also be less than 10 years old on the day after you leave. If you renewed your current passport before the previous one expired, extra months may have been added to its expiry date. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the minimum period needed.

These rules do not apply to travel to Ireland. Check whether you need to renew your passport before travelling to Europe. You need to renew your passport before travelling if you do not have enough time left on your passport. Sign up for email updates on GOV. We offer passport expediting services as quickly as 24 hours. Requirements for each country can change at any time.

This list is meant to be a helpful guideline for countries that enforce the six-month validity passport rule, but are of course subject to change. Check with your airline first if you have less than 6 months passport validity. Passport requirements often differ from nation to nation. Be sure to check the entry and exit requirements for each country you plan to travel as these requirements can change regularly.

Blog « Back Six Month Validity Passport Rule Before your next trip, make sure your passport satisfies the six month validity passport rule. What is the six months validity passport rule? Renew Your Passport Before Your Upcoming Trip One of the most common mistakes travelers make is not renewing their passport before they travel. Passports Expedited On Time, Everytime. Note that certain countries, marked with an asterisk, deviate from the standard six-month requirement.

Note that while some Schengen members only require passports to be valid three months beyond your intended stay, others assume you may stay the full 90 days of your visa validity and thus, the six-month time period.

The remaining countries listed below abide by the usual six months of passport validity unless otherwise noted. Note that while the UK and Ireland are both EU member states, they are not part of the Schengen arrangement and do not require an additional six-month validity period beyond your stay, though it is recommended.

Barthelemy, St. Kitts, St. Some countries have a slight distinction in that they may require validity to be either six months from the date of entry or six months from date of intended departure. Have you experienced problems with the passport-validity rule? How did you solve your issue?

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